Synopsis

Gael Martinez fled the small Texas town of Del Rey the minute he turned sixteen. Legal or not, he had to leave or end up dead. Life’s been hard, and everything Gael ever hoped for has been stripped from him. He’s close to giving up, so worn down from fighting to live every day. When incredible information reaches him that gives him a reason to hang in there, at least a little longer, Gael is afraid to hope for a better life.

An accidental encounter leads to him being told things have changed with the coyote den that had been floundering in Del Rey years ago. Miller Hudson, the coyote shifter alpha, had found his mate, and the den was now flourishing—and the biggest miracle of all, some of the shifters could now actually shift.

As tempted as that makes him to return, it could all be a bunch of lies and Gael is still hesitant, even though he yearns to go home. There’s no point if he’s only likely to be killed. Dying at another’s hands isn’t the way Gael ever intends to die.

It’s only upon discovering the changes regarding some of the humans in Del Rey that allow Gael to truly consider going home.

What he finds in the small town is more than just a home. He finds himself, and the man he’s always meant to be.

Liza’s Review

Gael is a coyote shifter, who can't shift. He also didn't have an education, a GED or any form of ID. So it was no wonder that he had spent most of the years between the ages of sixteen and thirty six homeless. Considering he had it figured he would be dead by twenty, Gael thought things weren't that bad. Although like most of the homeless, Gael often felt like a ghost, and with shelter scarce, and winter coming in, he wasn't sure he would last another year.

Gael originally came from the Del Rey pack and had left when things had gotten too hard. When the opportunity comes for him to go back, Gael isn't sure what to do - can he actually have a decent life - is it possible that those little signals, like increased hearing are a sign that his own coyote is returning. Ms. Bradford is awesome at laying down a series of crumbs as clues, that keep you reading, waiting to see what you hope will happen, actually pan out.

Iker is one of the men sent by Alpha Miller to find Gael and bring him back to the den. Iker is a wolf shifter and he had been married before, to a woman. He truly believed she was his one mate. But the feelings he has for Gael confuse him, not least because the man is barely hanging onto his sanity by a thread.

What I loved about this book, was that despite the fact that Ikea and Gael were mates, and yes they had sex pretty quickly, it didn't solve all Gael's problems. The man had witnessed his mother being murdered when he was effectively still a child. He had then spent twenty years of his life being scared and staying away from the Den. Ms. Bradford did an awesome job of showing Gael's mixed up emotions - his journey, his growth was slow, but totally realistic. The two men got their HEA but it was at a horrific cost too. I for one am totally looking forward to the next book in this series - hopefully it is about Roman and a certain damaged Ranger.